Drug Interdiction Controversy Inflames Caribbean Operations Debate

Retired Air Force General Blaine Holt addressed ongoing concerns surrounding a September airstrike on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean during Tuesday’s segment of Newsmax’s “Wake Up America Early.” Some U.S. senators have publicly called for an investigation into this incident.

Holt emphasized that determining the facts of the engagement, including precise strike details and applicable rules of engagement, is paramount to understanding the controversy. He stated, “And if there’s even a tinge of blood in the water in the swamp, then the politics behind it are just going to inflame like they are right now.”

Regarding White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s defense that the strike was lawful, Holt framed the dispute as fundamentally about compliance with the law of armed conflict. He urged officials to provide records transparently and pursue accountability if necessary while minimizing distractions for U.S. personnel conducting operations in the region.

The incident also includes allegations that a “second hit” may have killed two survivors.